HM the King's Endurance Ride Cup on Saturday

Manama, Feb. 20. (BNA) -- Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King's Cup Endurance Race Championship will be held on Saturday for a distance of 120km at the Bahrain International Endurance Village. An international qualifying race for a distance of 80km will also be held. The race will start at 7am with the participation of a number of elite riders from Bahrain's Royal Endurance Team and other local stables. The veterinary examination was conducted yesterday amid organisation measures by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF). BREEF have set all the stages of the race as follows: 120 km – for adults and juniors consisting of five legs, first stage (red flags) set for 30km, second stage (blue flags) set for 30km, third stage (green flags) set for 24km, fourth stage (yellow flags) set for 20km, and fifth stage (white flags) set for 16km. In the 80km race, the first stage (red flags) is set for a distance of 30km and the second stage (blue flags) is over 30km, while the third stage (yellow flags) is set for a total distance of 20km. Bahrain Royal Endurance Team leader Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the veterinary examination and met a number of riders and urged them to achieve outstanding results in the race and nail top positions. He said that the King's Cup is a great and real opportunity for the Royal Team's riders to continue their development and strength this season. He praised the local stables who have made great efforts in their steeds, stressing that the tournament will be very strong in light of broad participation by top riders. Al Khaldiya Stables leader Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa said that the race will be strong and exciting, adding that it comes as an emphasis on the readiness of riders and horses to run in endurance competitions in Bahrain, which are always different and which require intensive preparation in order to get top positions. Shaikh Khalid expressed his optimism for a strong, technical race, thanks to broad participation by various riders who have great experiences and will contribute to the introduction of enthusiasm on the race. He noted that preparations of the local stables were in the level of the event before the start of the race. BREEF President Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa stressed that BREEF has prepared the endurance village which will host the event, and BREEF has finished all the administrative procedures in this regard, which contributed to evoke all the reasons for success to this race. He highlighted the importance of BREEF sparing no effort to ensure the success of the race to contribute to an outstanding season. He praised the support and follow up of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad for all actions taken by BREEF for the start of the season, in order to finish all the tasks entrusted to them. Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad's Media Office and Information Centre Director Tawfiq Al Salehi stressed that the race will be broadcast live on Bahrain TV. He added that a studio which will host sportsmen in endurance sports and will conduct interviews with riders. Fans can also follow the race live on the websitehttp://bna.bh/portal/bna-live.